Reversing valve-gear.



No. 658,690. Patentad Sept. 25, I900. C. WELLER & W. ROMMEL.

navznsma VALVE GEAR.

(Application filed Jan. 16, 1900.) (No Model.)

Eli:

w m M w NiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES \VELLER, OF MOUNT PULASKI, AND IVILLIAM ROMMEL, OF

LATHAM, ILLINOIS.

REVERSING VALVE-G EAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,690, datedSeptember 25, 1900.

Application filed Janua y 16. 1900- Serial No. 1,673. (No model.)

2'0 ate Lu/tom it may concern.

Beit kno wn that we, CHARLES WELLER, re-

siding at Mount Pulaski, and WVILLIAM ROM MEL, residing at Latham, inthe county of Logan and State of Illinois, citizens of the UnitedStat-es, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ReversingValve- Gear for Engines; and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact descl'iplion of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to valve-gear for reversing steam and otherengines run by a fiuittpower medium controlled in its admission to thecylinder and its exhaustion therefrom by means of an alternately orreversely actuated valve.

The sole purpose of the invention is the provision of simple,easily-operable, positive, compact, and eflicient means for effecting ashit! i ng of the fiuid-mediuni-controlling valve so as to drive theengine in a reverse direction.

An essential feature'of the invention is a pivoted arm supportinga'crooked or substantially elbow-shaped lever, by means of which thefulcrum-block is moved in its curved guideway.

The improvement consists, essentially, of the novel features, details ofconstruction, and combinations of parts, which hereinafter will be morefully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a valve-gearconstructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. Fig. 2is a detail top plan view. Fig. 3 is a section on the line X X, lookingin the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a detail end view of the guidefor the slide, parts being broken away.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The bed 1 or support for the operating parts of the valve-gear mechanismmay be any convenient portion of the engine or specially constructed forthe purpose. A standard 2 is secured at its lower end to the bed 1 andrises vertically therefrom and is formed with an arcuate slot 3,constituting'a guideway for the fulcrum-block 4, which is adjustabletherein and has a bar 5 and curved lever 6 pivotally attached toopposite sides thercof. An arm 7 is pivoted at its lower end to the bed1 and projects upwardly therefrom and has the curved or elbow-shapedlever 6, pivoted thereto, and for compactness of arrangement this arm 7is located as near to the standard 2 as possible. The hand or operatinglever 8 is fulcrumed at its lower end to the bed 1 and is provided withthe ordinary hand-latch 9, which cooperates with the teeth of a notchedsegment 10 to hold said lever in an adjusted position. A bar 11 connectsthe lever 8 with the adjacent end of the crooked lever 6. An oscillatingarm 12 is mounted upon the eccentric lb, being attached thereto by meansof a yoke, which extends vertically and has its upper end pivotallyconnected with the bar5, the pivotal fastening between the parts 12 and5constituting, in efiect, the fulcrum for the arm 12 in its oscillatorymovements. A slide 14 is connected with the upper portion of the arm 12by means of a pitman 15 and is reciprocated in conformity to theoscillating motion of said arm. The slide 14 has its lower end connectedwith the valve-stem 16 in sucha manner as t'oimpart a reciprocatingmovement thereto and is mounted in a guidewa-y composed of a seriesoffour bars 17, arranged in parallel relation and spaced apartvertically and laterally and connected at their ends by means ofinterposed filling-pieces comprising a block 18 and a laterally-movablewedge 19, the meeting faces of the block and wedge being correspondinglyinclined and the outerfaces parallel. Each wedge 19 is movable upon thecorresponding block 18 so as to vary the distance between the relativelyupper and lower bars 17, whereby provision is had for taking up wearbetween the lateral extensions 20 of the slide 14: and the said bars.The bars 17 at one side of the slide 14 are laterally adjustable tocompensate for wear between the slide and the pairs of side bars. Thisis effected in the simplest form of construction by having correspondingends of the blocks 18 and wedges 19 longitudinally slotted, as shown at21, to receive the bolts 22, by means of which the bars 17 are connectedand clamped against the upper and lower sides of the interposed spacingand transversely-connecting pieces. Itis obvious that any well-knownmeans may be resorted to for adjustably connecting the parts comprisingthe guideway and slide let in order to compensate for wear and preventany appreciable play of said slide.

The slide 14: consists of a plate and is provided at a pointintermediate of its ends with lateral extensions 20, which constituteguides to travel and operate in spaces formed between corresponding sidebars 17 and prevent relative vertical movements of the slide. The slideis located in the space between the side bars, and the latter, aspreviously stated, are capable of being relatively adjusted to preventplay or lost movement. By having the pitman 15 connected with the upperend of the slide and the valve-stem 16 attached to the lower end of saidslide the strain upon the guideway is equalized, which is of materialadvantage. This arrangement, moreover, provides for locating thevalve-gear at a relatively-higher point than the engine.

The operating-lever 8 can be adjusted to a central. position or toeither extreme position, as required, and when moved from one extremeposition to the other the direction of rotation of the engine isreversed. In the operation of the lever 8 the pivoted arm 17 is actuatedsimultaneously with the elbowshaped lever 6 and the fulcrum-block 4, thearm 7 turning to accommodate the changing relation of the pivotalconnection between the parts 6 and 7, whereby the fulcrum-block may bemoved in the guideway 3 with the least friction. In order to equalizethe strain, the lever 7 and bar 5 are attached to opposite sldes of thefulcrum-block and the bar 5 and pitman 15 are located upon oppositesides of the oscillating arm 12. The bearings at the ends of the severalbars and arms areadjustable in order to take up wear between them andthe pivot connections, as clearly indicated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. Inreversing valve-gear for engines, a pivoted arm, a lever ofapproximately elbow form fulcrumed intermediate of said ends to the saidpivoted arm, a hand-lever connected with one end of the elbow-lever, afulcrum- 1 block carried by the opposite end of said elbow-lever, acurved guideway for the fulcrumblock, and intermediate connectionsbetween the fulcrum-block and a val ve-stem for changing the relation ofthe valve, substantially as set forth.

2. In reversing valve-gear for engines, a standard provided with acurved guideway, a pivoted arm, a lever of approximately elbow shapefulcrumed intermediate of its ends to the pivoted arm, a fulcrum-blockcarried by one end of the elbow-lever and cooperating with the aforesaidcurved guideway, an operating-lever connected with the opposite end ofsaid elbow-lever, an oscillating arm, a bar pivotally connecting one endof the oscillating arm with the aforementioned fulcrumblock, a slidehaving the valve-stem attached thereto, and a pitman connecting saidslide with the oscillating arm, substantially as set forth.

3. In reversing valve-gear for engines, a guideway composed of four barsor members vertically and laterally spaced, and capable of vertical andlateral adjustment, means for securing said bars in an adjustedposition, a slide operating in the vertical space formed betweencorresponding side bars and having lateral extensions disposed tooperate in the horizontal space formed between said corresponding sidebars, said slide having a valvestem connected therewith, and avalve-gear attached to said slide for imparting a reciprocating movementthereto, substantially as set forth.

4. In valve-gear for engines, a guideway composed of four bars ormembers vertically and laterally spaced, transversely-connecting endpieces interposed between the upper and lower bars and composed of ablock and wedge, each having corresponding longitudinal slots at oneend, the wedge being adjustable, fastenings adjustably clampingcorresponding side bars to the extremities of thetransversely-connecting pieces in an adjusted position, said slidehaving the valve-stem connected therewith, and actuating mechanism forimparting a reciprocating movement to the slide, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES WELLER. WILLIAM ROMMEL.

Witnesses:

ROBERT AUOHISON, O. EDWARD ROTH.

